That’s just one of the 49ers’ current problems. Linebacker Patrick Willis left Sunday’s 20-7 loss to the Colts with a groin injury. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick had a poor day, going 13-for-27 with an interception and a fumble. From the San Jose Mercury News:

In the NFL, you can’t win when your offense produces only seven points in a game — or just 10 points total over back-to-back weeks. And there’s your paltry truth about the 49ers offense, after a 29-3 loss at Seattle on Sept. 15 and Sunday’s mess.

Really? One touchdown and one field goal, combined, in two games? That’s not an NFL offense. That’s the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Outplayed, outmatched and embarrassed, the Rams had no answer for basically anything Dallas tried on either side of the ball at AT&T Stadium, aka Jerry Jones’ Playpen. And afterward, Fisher didn’t really have an answer for what went wrong.

“You know what? I can’t explain it,” Fisher said. “We’re going to look at the tape and see what happened. But I didn’t expect to see this happen. I’m disappointed. Our players are disappointed. We had a really good (practice) week, and it just didn’t carry over.”

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

—————————————————————————-

The Arizona Cardinals were blown out by the Saints, but the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, didn’t care and made this interception. / AP photo

After that first possession, it became the Dave Zastudil show for the Cardinals. Zastudil is a fine fellow, but he punts. And the next eight Cardinals possessions ended with Zastudil on the field. The two after that ended in interceptions.

“When you don’t move the ball on third down, when you don’t move the ball effectively enough on first and second down, when you give that team (the Saints) that many possessions, they are going to score 30-something points,” Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer said.

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Gregg Bell joined The News Tribune in July 2014. Bell had been the director of writing for the University of Washington's athletic department for four years. He was the senior national sports writer in Seattle for The Associated Press from 2005-10, covering the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl season and beyond. He's also been The Sacramento Bee's beat writer on the Oakland Athletics and Raiders. The native of Steubenville, Ohio, is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and a 2000 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

Feeds

Hard not to laugh at the 49ers right now. Karma’s a bitch. I predict they will right the ship, although Kap is looking pretty mortal right now. The Rams are going to make it tough though on Sunday. While we looked great today, apart from a couple of fixable miscues by Wilson (never force the ball from your own 2 when you have ten yards of grass in front of you to run), we are in the drivers seat in the West right now. Some tough road games ahead though, we’ll need all the cushion we can get. The Texans will be pissed off and ready to play hard at home.
My game balls go out to Wilson/TJack/Miller on offense and Kam/Bennett on D.
Do you think the Hawks will be battling Chicago or New Orleans for the #1 seed in the NFC?

Yes, right now it looks like the most likely home field for the entirety of the playoffs challenger for us will be the Saints. Which is getting way too far ahead of ourselves. We play them in week 12, when both teams should be in playoff form.

The Saints don’t appear to have the defense needed for a playoff run though. But that could change as the season progresses.

They also play the Patriots and a likely split with the Falcons and Panthers plus a loss to us on our home field and one other loss along the way would put them at 11 to 13 wins.

In the meantime the Texans certainly appear to be rather beatable and their offense in particular looks like it can be contained and even stifled.

I’m expecting PC to want to make it a run dominated slugfest, with as few snaps played as possible to give the Texan’s already anemic offense as fewer possessions to work with. Along with of course us taking select shots down the field here and there.

This will be the defense’s first game this year against a capable ‘traditional’ quarterback who throws mostly from the pocket and is not a huge running threat in his own right.

And we have all of our pass rush options along the d line finally available and healthy (sans Irvin who will now be a passing downs linebacker who won’t be asked to beat a tackle straight up as often). Which they’re now looking downright scary.

Should we win comfortably this Sunday I’m pretty sure it will be the last time we hear that the team cannot win early games on the road against good teams.

Also as far as the other three NFC West teams troubles are concerned: it’s hard not to love that the blueprint and game plan for beating all if them has been formed.

The Rams cannot run on a good defenseand Bradford cannot take over a game.

Arizona doesn’t have an offense that can put up yards or points period. Take away Fitz and the middle of the field and they don’t have the horses or speed to beat you anywhere else.

San Fran is now easy too: contain Kaep and keep the ball in his hands. Cover Boldin. Outhit them as much as possible. They will crack.

And every head coach and coordinator in the league is now going to run that blueprint on them until they can prove it wrong (thank you Dallas for making it look just too easy against the Rams; though one would expect them to improve a bit).

The talk of the NFC west being the toughest in the league probably ends after this weekend though.

I’m thinking STL will still be a player in this division. They’ve got stuff to figure out on Offense but should improve.

Their D Line is still pretty fearsome and I expect them to win this Thursday.

AZ is only going to succeed if Palmer gets protection, a run game, and plays well. I don’t envision all those things happening consistently.

My prediction for SF is this: Harbaugh panics and brings back more read-option due to Kap’s performance w/o it this year. If it works, look out they will be dangerous, if not, big time trouble for them.

You are absolutely right pabs. I would also like to add that our offense looked OK against a mostly rookie secondary. I don’t think the O is anywhere close to being a lock for home field advantage. RW is struggling with his decision making so far this year imho. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still good. There is a hesitation there that wasn’t around at the end of last year. Can’t put my finger on it.

I don’t think anyone is feeling overly confident yet. Or just assuming wins against the Texans and Indy on the road. Both games are very winnable though. Especially the Texans.

And we are going to get every teams best no matter what from here on out. There isn’t a player or coach in the league who does not understand and respect what they are facing when playing us anymore.

And we e are now the best outside the division or conference win that any team would want as part of their record. Just as the New England and Bears wins for us last year were critical markers and meant so much more for understanding where the team was going than some of the others.

We got Jacksonville’s best possible performance yesterday too btw.

We *should* beat the Texans in a close, defense dominated game. The matchup against Indy will be rather exciting and telling gauge for where both clubs are at.

If we win both of those games I would start to believe in the possibilities for a one or two loss regular season. And hfa for the playoffs run. Which I’m not quite expecting just yet.

I think SF broke themselves. The run Harbs had with his predecessors picks is coming to an end. We will find out soon if he has the chops as a top coach, so is he just the blow-hard we all think he is…

IMO, they traded away the best option they had to right the ship. Big mistake to take away Kaps competition, and QB study partner.

As much as we all love RW, it certainly is a major asset to have a healthy TJ, a guy who is playing lights out, capable of pushing RW and sharing the load in the study of the defense. Plus TJ is a locker room leader and has the respect of his team..confidence abounds in the Seahawks QB group…try and say the same of any NFC-W team..

One game at a time works good. I think like game 1 against the Panthers, we were as vanilla as possible so’s not to tip our hand for the Texans. I’m glad our backups got some valuable game experience even though they scored against them. Cristine is lights out fast! I can’t wait for Irvin to come back. I think that Avril and a healthy Clem is a handfull even with home field advantage. I think that Quinn is moving the players around on the line and it’s confusing QB’s.

Andrew Luck got lucky again!! he got to play the 49ers right after we broke them!! smh no wonder his name is perfect for him….

I think we’re all finding out what CK as a QB is. I’ve been saying he’s not on the same level as RW. As for RW, I’m a little disappointed in his performance. He’s been missing some throws that he didn’t miss last season. I can’t think of any logical reason why he’s missing these throws. I hope it’s just Rust and nothing to worry about. Houston game will be telling.

Dude, you’re a joke. Luck played solid and took plenty of tough shots against a very good defense. Actually had a better game against them on the road than Wilson had against them at home. Maybe watch the games before you add to your already high level of faulty information.
Luck must’ve not signed your power rangers figure or something. Get over it.

Wilson matched a career high with four TD passes in two and a half quarters. Soooo disappointing. (Big Sarcastic type here folks) You want disappointment, watch the Packers, Redskins, Eagles, Rams, Cards, 9ers, Giants, Falcons. NFC took a beating yesterday. Well, except for the only team that really matters, our Seahawks!!

Don’t think RW is fully in sync yet. Maybe I expected him to just pick up where he left off, but guess that isn’t the way it works in the NFL. The O-line has a major test coming up, and RW as well. The pressure will tell us a lot about where the Hawks are right now. Wonder if they’re going to have morning practices again?

Just be happy…from what I have seen this season, Seahawks can win against any of the best of the best in the league. Any given Sunday…next two games, when I originally saw the schedule, were the two I was counting as true tests…with our OL, these teams have a chance..our defense will give the hawks every opportunity to win.

Of course it’s just speculation but I’m wondering if RW just has more of the playbook available to him now and he’s having to think more instead of just reacting? There does seem to be something different in the speed of his decision-making.

Thanks for proving my point. Of course you don’t have a comment to back up your ongoing Luck doubting. Just another week and he keeps making your comments funnier and funnier. Speaking of not knowing much about football. But hey, keep acting like you know everything and are the smartest one here. Must be nice to be wrong more than right. You really should have played a team sport like football. It could have helped give you insight on the game.

The Texans will probably be our best ‘test’ so far of where the O line is really at.

Carolina was the first game and Pete said he got too cute with the blocking being called. And I do think their front seven is something pretty special.

The other two games have been at home and against teams in disarray. I wouldn’t call those games a particularly good measure of where things really stand. And the game plan against SF in particular was specifically designed to roll over and crush them slowly and relentlessly. It was way worse than the 42-13 win last year imo.

Also as far as RW’s sometimes miscues go: I haven’t been worried yet. And I don’t think there is anything truly wrong.

When we were struggling against Carolina he shifted into putting the team on his back and making one great throw after another under relatively constant duress. No reason (yet) to think that with the game on the line, he won’t continue to do so.

I’d like for him to be more careful with the football of course. But that’s different than being alarmed. Or thinking that something is not right.

tealskin, I completely agree. I’m very concerned. I’m not worried yet but my worry meter is around 6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. He can’t play like that if he is to become top 5 QB again this year. He was a Top 5 QB last year.

btw, it’s time for us to make JAWS eat crow again,, by showing the world what kind of a QB Matt Schaub is. I have not seen anyone from JAWS cult lately. They got quiet all of a sudden. lol

Yeah, I don’t get the Luck doubting either. Second year quarterback coming off one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history. Which just happened to come in the same year as RW’s and RG3’s.

No question that I’d take RW for OUR team knowing what we know now. But RW is extremeley unusual and even PC / JS didn’t anticipate that he’d be quite this special.

No question that Luck is a special player too though. And going through the growth and development process than Brady, Manning, Rogers and any other of the great modern QB’s had to go through themselves. And without the benefit of sitting on the bench for a year getting ready.

One thing I’m pretty sure of: Defensive coordinators take everything about his game seriously and don’t want the game’s outcome put in his hands. Meaning I think most would rather have Indy try running on their D than give Luck time to throw the ball around. And therefore arrange their defense and gameplan more primarily around pass rush taking away his targets.

SeventiesHawksFan, I don’t doubt that Luck is a good QB. I just dont’ think he’s a top 10 QB, like 99% of the nation do, probably because they believe everything ESPN say. He’s been hyped by ESPN from day one. But there are those that watched him since his college days. He’s no doubt a Top 15 QB with potential to be a Top 10. But RW already is a top 5 QB, yet poeple think Luck is ahead of RW,,,..

The Hawks did exactly what they should have against the Jags. I was a little disappointed in the defense giving up 17 points. Though 7 was a gift from the offense.
It will be interesting to watch the 49ers in the coming weeks. This is the very first time that a Harbough led 49ers have faced adversity. They have the talent to rebound, but the Captain of the ship seems unstable and might not be able to correct it. Also it seems true that Super Bowl looser continue to have a difficult year following that loss. I will be rooting for the Rams. It would be nice to see the SMUG 49ers and their fans sitting at 1-3.

jawpeace, I will cheer for the RAMS as well but I’m disappointed in the RAMS. How could they play that best against the Cowboys??? I’m pretty sure now that the Cowboys will come out of the East. I’m a little concerned about them having the best record in the NFC,, since NFC EAST is so Weak….

The good news is Russell Wilson had an incredible rookie season and set the bar very high. Our expectations are higher for him than probably any other Seahawks player. As some of us are long time Seahawks fans, how long has it been that we were able to have such high expectations for a player? It’s a nice chance and shows how far this team has come under Pete and John.

It’s funny how some are concerned that he isn’t doing very well or looks bad, off or not as good as he has been. The better news is his completion percentage, yards per pass and record is better this year than at the same time last year. Oh and his QB rating is second to Peyton Manning. The team is 3-0. These are good problems to have.

Granted, I think the point was he hadn’t looked as good as he did late last season, but the reality is his stats are better so far. The team has played two tough defensive teams and Wilson has stood up to those challenges and won every game. I’d say the bigger issue is that the O-line isn’t really close to playing at the level they ended at last season.

MoSeahawk12, you just don’t get it. I’m very happy that we have RW and he’s done very well, compared to other young QB’s, including Luck….. My point is he can’t continue to miss those easy throws (which he admitted himself),, as a Top 5 QB. The Standard for Top 5 QB is a lot higher and he does not get to play against League’s 4th Easiest Schedule like Luck.

I seriously doubt anyone here thinks Luck is better than Wilson. The comments suggest they are both great QBs and will be for years to come. Each guy will have success on his team as they are both right where they need to be. We wouldn’t trade Wilson for Luck and the Colts wouldn’t either. It’s funny how one here thinks only Russell Wilson can be great and the rest just ok. Wilson is great, but there are many great QBs playing today.

If you actually watched Luck during his college career you would have seen he was off the charts in all the important stats. Sorry he didn’t sign your autograph when you were in junior high.

But if you were going to have a draft today for all of the current starting QB’s to build your franchise around, Luck would arguably be picked in front of Brees, Brady and Manning because of his youth.

Rodgers most likely goes first under this hypothetical scenario. RW, Kaepernick, Luck, RG3 are probably the next four. Because of their youth.

ESPN’s primary job btw is to sell you on tuning into their coverage and brand. Rather than report well on football matters. They have the Sandos and Claytons for those who are more well versed in the game, but that fan is really not the bread and butter of their marketplace. Those who will buy into Luck and RG3 hype are.

Which is why I’ve never gotten too upset with ESPN coverage, slants, Eastern bias, team and player favorites and the reporting that makes my eyes roll. I don’t take much of it seriously to begin with.

And yes, we agree that RW is a ‘top 5′ QB. He is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous QB’s in the game on any given play. Even when he’s having his headscratching the moments, two plays later he does something that reminds you of how he just does things that you could never have expected. And which few players can ever do.

The second TD throw to Miller where RW froze the LB in space to buy enough time to get the ball off and for Miller to complete his route was one of the more notable examples for me from yesterdays’ game. Which I was sitting right in front of the play where it happened and you it was a thing of beauty to watch it unfold in real time.

Brady and Manning cannot make that play the same way. Nor can Luck. Yes they can make the throw. But the linebacker would have never stopped in space to give them time. Because an LB doesn’t have to worry about those guys running away from him.

The kid can simply do (many) things that other QB’s cannot. Including making the big throw into tight coverage that all the other great ones can make.

The injury I’m worried about is Big Red. The team needs him. If Clemons plays more on Sunday that means Avril and Bennett can be used as situational pass rushers. But the team needs Big Red this weekend.

Houston’s strength is those two very good RB’s they have. Either could and should be the starter. Tate is pushing and Foster is doing everything he can to hold on to the starting job.

If the Texans are going to give Seattle trouble it will be on the ground. When Red isn’t in the lineup the run D suffers.

Wilson has had 3 turnovers in his last 2 home games which is a bit of a concern. It’s hard to draw anything from a Jaguars game or 2 games in general.

We’ll have a much better idea where this team and Wilson are in the next 2 weeks – probably 2 of the toughest regular season weeks we have seen in Seattle in many years. This is the only Seahawks team I have faith where they could win back to back early road games against playoff type teams so I think the Seahawks could come out of this 5-0. I never had any faith the Holmgren/Hasselbeck teams would win these games and they rarely ever did.

But the reality is, its been a long time (mid 80s?) where the Seahawks did go on the road and win 2 games like this, so until they do, I won’t get too excited over the 49ers problems.

Regarding Jackson, he has his most value with the Seahawks. He seems like he would take a couple of years to pick up a new offense and his familiarity with Bevell and the Seahawks in general really put him 2 steps above where he would be anywhere else. Plus there is the league wide perception he isn’t that good so it would be impossible to get value for him. That perception worked to the Seahawks advantage as they were able to scoop him up as soon as the Bills released him. I have no concerns if Wilson is out during the regular season with Jackson as the backup. My concern is if they need the QB to elevate the team in a tight 4th quarter against a playoff team – Jackson probably is not that guy. Jackson can get the team to the playoffs, but probably not the Championship we are all looking for.

SeventiesHawksFan,, you made some very good points. I agree with you on all of it. I am not mad at ESPN for hyping it up. That’s their job and they’re good at it. Average Fans with average knowledge/eye for talent will eat it up and they should.

MoSeahawk12, I don’t think you belong in this conversation if you think I’m down on luck cuz I didn’t get his autograph. smh….

chuck_easton, I agree that stopping the run will be our No.1 priority against Texans and Colts. If we think about what happened in the playoff last year (10AM starts),, we coudn’t stop the run against Redskins or Falcons in the first halves…. If our Run-Defense is not sleep-walking at 10AM the next 2 games, there’s no doubt in my mind, we’ll be 5-0. Not worried about Matt Schaub or Andrew Luck at all. They’re average QB’s….not TOP 10 which is what JAWS thinks.

70’sfan, I would agree with a lot of what you wrote except for this paragraph. “Brady and Manning cannot make that play the same way. Nor can Luck. Yes they can make the throw. But the linebacker would have never stopped in space to give them time. Because an LB doesn’t have to worry about those guys running away from him.”
Andrew Luck ran a 4.59 40 at the combine. (The same time Cam Newton Ran.) Luck has the ability to run away.

Yankinta I agree that the Cowboys look like the best pick to win their division. The question I have about the Cowboys is one I used to worry about the Hawks, road games wins. The Boys have a hard time on the road and have not overcome this hurdle yet. So while I would probably pick the Boys to win their division, I would not give them the best record in the NFC. Lets leave that for the Hawks!

HOU is an opportunistic team. BAL didn’t give them anything and took advantage of a coupla opportunities that HOU gave them. This next Sunday should be a good old-fashioned slug-fest (unless RW can get the offense going early with play-action passing).

jawpeace, I agree but you should know Straight line speed isn’t that useful in a Football game, unless you’re a WR or RB…. Which is why RW is a lot better because he has that quickness and elusiveness that no other QB in the league can match.

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